Now came great news! It came from a neighboring state, where the family’s only surviving relative lived. It was Sally’s relative—a distant relative by the name of Tilbury Foster, seventy and single. Tilbury now wrote to Sally, saying he should shortly die, and should leave him thirty thousand dollars, cash; not for love, but because money had given him most of his troubles, and he wished to place it where there was good hope that it would continue its evil work. The bequest would be found in his will, and would be officially handed over provided that Sally should be able to prove to the executors (遗嘱执行人).
As soon as Aleck had partially recovered from the strong emotions created by the letter, she sent someone to the relative’s home and subscribed for the local paper.
For the rest of the day Sally made confusion with his books, and Aleck could not keep her mind on her affairs, not even take up a flower-pot or book or a stick of wood without forgetting what she had intended to do with it. For both were dreaming.
“Thirty thousand dollars!”
All day long Aleck was absorbed in planning how to invest it, Sally in planning how to spend it.
There was no romance-reading that night. The children took themselves away early, for their parents were silent, disturbed, and strangely unentertaining. Two pencils had been busy during that hour —note-making; in the way of plans. It was Sally who broke the stillness at last. He said, with excitement, “Ah, it’ll be grand, Aleck! Out of the first thousand we’ll have a horse and a buggy for summer, and a cutter and a skin lap-robe for winter.”
Aleck responded with decision and calmness.
“You can spend a part of it. But the whole of the capital must be put right to work.
“Why, yes. Yes, of course. Have you got it invested yet?”
“No, there’s no hurry about that; I must look around first, and think, er…, I’ve turned it over twice; once in oil and once in wheat.”
“Why, Aleck, it’s splendid! What does it amount to?”
“I think — well, to be on the safe side, about a hundred and eighty thousand clear, though it will probably be more.”
“My! Isn’t it wonderful? Good heaven! Luck has come our way at last, Aleck!”
Then they went up to bed, but they left the candle burning in the sitting room. They did not remember until they were undressed; then Sally was for letting it burn; he said they could afford it, if it was a thousand. But Aleck went down and put it out.
A good job, too; for on her way back she hit on a scheme that would turn the hundred and eighty thousand into half a million before it had had time to get cold. Why would Tilbury like to give all his money to Sally?
A.Because Sally was Tilbury’s only relative alive. |
B.Because Tilbury loved Sally and his family deeply. |
C.Because Tilbury wanted his money to continue its function. |
D.Because Sally and his wife are good at investing. |
The underlined word “bequest” in Paragraph1 probably means _________.
A.a gift of personal property | B.a proof of a person’s identity |
C.a method of getting money | D.a reason for giving money |
What do we know about Sally and his wife after receiving the letter?
A.They were in deep sorrow and stayed up all night. |
B.They cared little about the bequest and lived their life as usual. |
C.They paid a visit to Tilbury to confirm the truth of the letter. |
D.They had a big ambition to invest the money and make huge profits. |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A.Thrilling News | B.Sally’s Distant Relative |
C.The $30,000 Bequest | D.A Smart Investment |
“Have a nice day!” may be a pleasant gesture or a meaningless expression. When my friend Maxie says “Have a nice day” with a smile, I know she sincerely cares about what happens to me. I feel loved and secure since another person cares about me and wishes me well.
“Have a nice day. Next!” This version of the expression is spoken by a salesgirl at the supermarket who is rushing me and my groceries out the door. The words come out in the same tone(腔调)with a fixed procedure. They are spoken at me, not to me. Obviously, the concern for my day and everyone else’s is the management’s attempt to increase business.
The expression is one of those behaviors that help people get along with each other. Sometimes it indicates the end of a meeting. As soon as you hear it, you know the meeting is at an end. Sometimes the expression saves us when we don’t know what to say. “Oh, you just had a tooth out? I’m terribly sorry, but have a nice day.”
The expression can be pleasant. If a stranger says “Have a nice day” to you, you may find it heart-warming because someone you don’t know has tried to be nice to you.
Although the use of the expression is an insincere, meaningless social custom at times, there is nothing wrong with the sentence except that it is a little uninteresting. The salesgirl, the waitress, the teacher, and all the countless others who speak it without thinking may not really care about my day. But in a strange and comfortable way, it’s nice to know they care enough to pretend they care when they really don’t care all that much. While the expression may not often be sincere, it is always spoken. The point is that people say it all the time when they like. How does the author understand Maxie’s words?
A.Maxie shows her anxiety to the author. |
B.Maxie really wishes the author a good day. |
C.Maxie encourages the author to stay happy. |
D.Maxie really worries about the author’s security. |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?
A.The salesgirl is rude. |
B.The salesgirl is bored. |
C.The salesgirl cares about me. |
D.The salesgirl says the words as a routine. |
By saying “Have a nice day,” a stranger may .
A.try to be polite to you | B.express respect to you |
C.give his blessing to you | D.share his pleasure with you |
According to the last paragraph, people say “Have a nice day” .
A.sincerely | B.as thanks |
C.as a habit | D.encouragingly |
What is the best title of the passage?
A.Have a Nice Day — a Social Custom |
B.Have a Nice Day — a Pleasant Gesture |
C.Have a Nice Day — a Heart-warming Greeting |
D.Have a Nice Day — a Polite Ending of a Conversation |
In the fall of 1985, I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere. Twenty-one years later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell.
My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college at the age of 65. She was the first in our family to reach that goal. But one year after I started college, she developed cancer. I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her. It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.
Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopt and biological children. In 1999, we adopted our first son. To lay eyes on him was fantastic---and very emotional. A year later came our second adopted boy. Then followed son No. 3. In 2003, I gave birth to another boy.
You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 18. Our home was a complete zoo---a joyous zoo. Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time. But I never gave up the dream either. I had only one choice: to find a way. That meant taking as few as one class each semester.
The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to quit, But I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.
In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree!
I am not special, just single-minded. It always struck me that when you’re looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you’re in the midst of it, it just seems normal. Everything you want won’t arrive in your life on one day.
It’s a process. Remember: Little steps add up to big dreams.. When the author went to Howard University, her dream was to be________
A.a writer | B.a teacher | C.a doctor | D.a judge |
Why did the author quit school in her second year of college?
A.She wanted to study by herself. |
B.She decided to look after her grandma. |
C.She suffered from a serious illness. |
D.She fell in love and got married. |
What can we learn about the author from Paragraphs 4 and 5?
A. She ignored her guilty feeling for her sons.
B. She was busy yet happy with her family life.
C. She wanted to remain a full-time housewife.
She was too confused to make a correct choice. What does the author mostly want to tell us in the last paragraph?
A.Failure is the mother of success. |
B.Every coin has two sides. |
C.Little by little, one goes far. |
D.Well begun, half done. |
Which of the following can best describe the author?
A.Caring and determined. |
B.Honest and responsible. |
C.Ambitious and sensitive. |
D.Innocent and single-minded. |
Passage 1
The information Highway is the road that links computer users to a large number of on-line services; the Web, e-mail, and software, to mention just a few. Not long ago, the information Highway was a new road, with not many users. Now, everyone seems to want to take a drive, with over 30 million families connected worldwide. Not surprisingly, this well-traveled highway is starting to look like a well-traveled highway. Traffic jams can cause many serious problems, forcing the system to close down for repair. Naturally, accidents will happen on such a crowed road, and usually victims are some files, gone forever. Then, of course, there’s Mr. Cool, with his new broad-band connection, who speeds down the highway faster than most of us can go. But don’t trick yourself; he pays for that speeding.
Passage 2
Want to know more about global warming and how you can help prevent it? Doctor Herman Friedman, who is considered a leading expert on the subject, will speak at Grayson Hall next Friday. Friedman studied environmental science at three well-known universities around the world before becoming a professor in the subject. He has also traveled around the world observing environmental concerns. The gradual bleaching (变白) of the Grate Barrier Reef, which came into the public eye in 2002, in his latest interest. Signed copies of his colorful book, which was published just last month, will be on sale after his talk.The Information Highway________.
A.appeals to a large number of users |
B.is crowded with car drivers |
C.offers just a few on-line services] |
D.is free from traffic accidents |
How does MR .Cool manage to travel the Information Highway so fast?
A.By storing fewer files. |
B.By repair the system. |
C.By using a broad-band connection. |
D.By buying a better computer. |
What can be learned from Passage 2?
A.There will be a book show at Grayson Hall |
B.Friedman is now studying the Great Barrier Reef. |
C.Friedman is a leading expert on computer science. |
D.There will be a talk on global warming this week. |
Passage 2 is most probably
A.An ad for a new book. |
B.A poster about a lecture. |
C.A note to a doctor in a university. |
D.An introduction to a professor. |
According to the passage, which of the following statement is not true?
A.Doctor Herman Friedman is a famous expert on environmental science. |
B.A new book has been published recently by Doctor Herman Friedman. |
C.The colorful new book, signed by him, will be sold before the talk. |
D.Doctor Herman Friedman has studied the changes of the Grate Barrier Reef. |
Getting rid of dirt, in the opinion of most people, is a good thing. However, the attitudes to dirt are always changing.
In the early 16th century, people thought that dirt on the skin was a means to block out disease, and washing off dirt with hot water could open up the skin and let ills in. A particular danger was thought to lie in public baths. By 1538, the French king had closed the bath houses in his kingdom. So did the king of England in 1546. Thus began a long time when the rich and the poor in Europe lived with dirt in a friendly way. Henry IV, King of France, was famously dirty. Upon learning that a nobleman had taken a bath, the king ordered that, to avoid the attack of disease, the nobleman should not go out.
Though the belief above was longlived, dirt has no longer been regarded as a nice neighbor ever since the 18th century. Scientifically speaking, cleaning away dirt is good to health. Clean water supply and hand washing are practical means of preventing disease. Yet, it seems that standards of cleanliness have moved beyond science since World War Ⅱ.Advertisements repeatedly sell the idea; clothes need to be whiter than white, cloths ever softer, surfaces to shine. Has the hate for dirt, however, gone too far?
Attitudes to dirt still differ hugely nowadays. Many firsttime parents nervously try to warn their children off touching dirt, which might be responsible for the spread of disease. On the contrary,Mary Ruebush,an American immunologist(免疫学家),encourages children to play in the dirt to build up a strong immune system. And the latter position is gaining some ground.The kings of France and England in the 16th century closed bath houses because ________.
A.they believed disease could be spread in public baths |
B.they thought bath houses were too dirty to stay in |
C.they lived healthily in a dirty environment |
D.they considered bathing as the cause of skin disease |
Which of the following best describes Henry IV's attitude to bathing?
A.Approving. | B.Afraid. | C.Curious. | D.Uninterested. |
How does the passage mainly develop?
A.By providing examples. |
B.By making comparisons. |
C.By following the order of importance. |
D.By following the order of time. |
What is the author's purpose in writing the passage?
A.To stress the role of dirt. |
B.To introduce the history of dirt. |
C.To present the change of views on dirt. |
D.To call attention to the danger of dirt. |
For centuries, the body's blood has been linked closely with the emotions. People who show no human emotions or feelings, are said to be cold-blooded. For example, the police are searching for a cold-blooded killer. He seems to kill for no reason, and no emotion, as if taking someone's life as nothing.
Cold can affect other parts of the body. The expression “get cold feet” has nothing to do with cold or your feet.The expression means being afraid to do something you have decided to do.For example, you agree to be president of an organization.But then you learn that all the other officers have resigned(辞职), and all the work of the organization will be your responsibility. You are likely to get cold feet about being president when you understand the situation.
The expression “give someone the cold shoulder” probably comes from the physical act of turning your back toward someone, instead of speaking to him face to face. You may give a cold shoulder to a friend who has not kept a promise he made to you. Or, to someone who has lied about you to others.
A cold fish is not a fish.It is a person.But it is a person who is unfriendly, and shows no love or warmth. A cold fish does not offer much of himself to anyone. Someone who is a cold fish could be cold-hearted. Now a cold-hearted person is someone who has no sympathy. Several popular songs in recent years were about cold-hearted men or cold-hearted women who, without feelings, broke the hearts of their lovers.
“Out in the cold” means not getting something that everybody else got. A person might say that everybody but him got a pay raise. He was left out in the cold. And it is not a pleasant place to be.When you refuse to speak to a man and treat him in a distant way, you may express by “_____”.
A.I give him the cold shoulder |
B.I think he is a cold-blooded man |
C.I think he is a cold fish |
D.I'm likely to get cold feet |
If Sue shows absolutely no reaction to those awful pictures of starving children in Africa, you will say ______.
A.she is a cold-blooded killer | B.she gets cold feet |
C.she is a cold fish | D.she is out in the cold |
We can use the expression “_____" to describe a man who hurts his lover without mercy.
A.cold-blooded | B.cold-hearted | C.cold feet | D.cold shoulder |
The topic of this passage is about _____.
A.the relationship between cold and our body |
B.some expressions about friendship |
C.some expressions connected with cold |
D.how cold weather comes into being |